


Even if I knew my place

by seratonation



Series: Family is Relative [5]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Babysitting, Howard Stark Issues, M/M, Smart Kid, Super-Family, Super-Husbands, Tony Has Issues, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2012-07-29
Packaged: 2017-11-11 00:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seratonation/pseuds/seratonation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha comes over to babysit Peter, and things don't go as planned, which forces Tony and Steve to confront some issues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even if I knew my place

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Chasing Pavements by Adele

Natasha had offered to babysit for them, and at first they had hesitated. Natasha was very capable with grown-up people, but they’ve never even seen her with a baby. 

“He’s four,” she said, “he’s not a baby.”

“He’s not an adult either,” Steve reminded her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, “you guys deserve a normal night out like a normal couple.”

“We’re not exactly a normal couple,” Steve said. 

“We’re not normal by any standards,” Tony countered. 

“Still,” she said, “go, have fun, we’ll be fine, won’t we, Peter?” she asked, shifting the boy in her arms. 

“Yeah!” Peter said, “You have fun, and we’ll have fun!”

She grinned. “That’s right!” she said, “See? We’ll be fine! You boys have fun!”

Tony came forward and kissed the top of Peter’s head. “If you need anything,” he said to Natasha, “Jarvis is here, he can contact us if anything goes wrong.”

“You’re going plugged in?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Steve rolled his eyes. “He never turns the darn thing off.” He stepped forward and also kissed the top of Peter’s head. “You be good for Aunty Natasha, okay?”

“Yes, daddy,” Peter said. 

***

When they came back they found Peter in his bed, sound asleep. 

“I told you it would be fine,” Natasha said.

“Did you have any trouble putting him down?” Steve asked, gently closing the bedroom door so they don’t disturb him.

“No,” she said, “he fussed a little and so I sang to him, and he went right out.”

Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you drug our son?” he asked, “he always puts up a fight.”

“No,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I told you, I sang to him, a russian lullaby, you can ask him in the morning.” She raised her eyebrow at him, daring him to defy her. 

“I will, you just wait,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Also you owe me something new,” she said.

“I thought we agreed on an upgrade for your wrist cuffs,” Tony said, brow furrowed. 

“Your four year old already did it for me,” she said, “come on, Stark, you really thought I’d let you get away with child’s work?”

“You let him play with your Widow’s Bite?” Steve said.

“No, of course not,” she said, before Steve could get any further, “that kid is stealthy, he took them without me noticing, took them apart and did something to them.”

“And they still worked?” Tony asked, brow furrowed, taking a closer look. 

“Tony!” Steve said, reproachfully.

“I mean,” Tony tried again, “he didn’t hurt himself?”

“Not that I saw, and they work better now.”

“He’s smart!” Tony said, throwing his fists in the air.

“Tony,” Steve said again.

“Yes dear,” Tony said placatingly, “thanks again, Nat, I will make you something new; a gun, a big-”

“No, small, Tony,” she said, “smaller is better.”

“I could say something here-” Tony started.

Steve sighed, looked heavenwards and walked away, loosening his tie on the way to the bedroom.

“G’night guys,” Natasha said and left, closing the door behind her. Tony locked the door behind her and took a moment to check in on Peter, fast asleep in his bed, clutching his stuffed toy.

When he caught up with Steve in the bedroom, Steve had only taken his tie off, and he didn’t look happy. “What’s wrong?” Tony said, ready to take whatever he’d done wrong this time.

“Your reaction Tony,” Steve said, “would you have loved him less if he had grown up to be not smart?”

“Of course not, is that-” Tony started and stopped, “Don’t you see? He’s a kid, he likes to draw, he likes to run around and play ball, and that’s not really my thing, that’s _your_ thing, and that’s fine. But now, we have something to bond over too.”

“You think if he wasn't smart you won’t have anything to do together?” Steve asked, incredulous. 

“I’m just always working, always in the lab-” Tony said, avoiding Steve’s eyes.

“It doesn't have to be that way,” Steve said, “you shouldn’t be so afraid to do things with him.”

“What if I mess it up, what if-” Tony said, and stopped again, moved away.

“Tony,” Steve said, “you’re not Howard.”

“No, I know he was your friend-”

“Some people are just not cut out to be parents,” Steve said, following him, hands on Tony’s arms to stop him walking away again, “I did the research, you are not him, Tony.”

“He wasn’t a bad parent,” Tony said quietly, looking away.

“He wasn’t a parent at all,” Steve said, ducking his head so that Tony would catch his eye, “you are better than him. Peter is only four and you are already a better dad than Howard.”

“Can we not do the comparison thing, it’s not a competition,” Tony said. 

“So stop making it one,” Steve said, almost forcibly, then took a breath and rested his forehead to Tony’s, “you should take him into the workshop sometime, let him see what you work on, introduce him to Dummy.”

“You don't think it’s too dangerous?” Tony asked.

“I trust you,” Steve said, “you should trust you too.”


End file.
